Don't Panic
by xtechnicolordreamsx
Summary: 8059. “The storm guardian is appalled, freezing in place as Tsuna's words hit him like a bucket of ice-water over his entire body.”


Disclaimer: Don't own, don't believe, don't wish to be sued..

My first KHR fic. Keep in mind that this is pretty much AU, and therefore doesn't really spoil anything in the series. It does, however, take place in the future, but is not at all canon or related to the TYL arc at all. Hope you like

(Italics are Gokudera's thoughts, btw.)

-

By the time Gokudera gets there, the building has already collapsed and all he can see is blocks of concrete and dust and dirt. There is debris floating around in the air like a dark cloud, and it makes Gokudera's eyes sting and water. He can vaguely hear another voice calling out to him - _Lambo, maybe? _-, telling him to 'stop, Gokudera-san, we should wait for orders first' (for a half-second, the Italian thinks, _no, it isn't the cow, who is it? Oh, it's just Basil_), but the silver-haired man has already dived into the rubble, forcing rocks and wood and broken glass out of his way, so frantically that he doesn't even register the pain when shards of glass pierce his skin, or when his nails threaten to rip off, bruised and bloody. His heart is beating quickly, quickly, and his mind is so clouded that for a moment, he forgets how to speak in Japanese, so he mutters and curses in Italian instead. He doesn't remember ever being this scared before, and when he feels a hand on his shoulder, he shrugs it off violently, running off to search in another corner.

_'Yamamoto, Yamamoto, Yamamoto, oh God, Takeshi, where are you, oh god, oh god, oh god,' _is all Gokudera can think, jade eyes wide and movements frantic. There is a sharp pain in his left hand and somewhere in his mind, he understands that a nail or two or three has been torn off. He can feel the blood running down his hands, his arms - _oh god, oh god, Takeshi, where the fuck are you?_ - and he isn't sure if it is blood or sweat or tears trickling down his face, warm as they slide down his cheeks, along his jaw, down his neck...

He thrashes around, crying and screaming in Italian as someone pulls him off the rubble, picking him up with as much ease as an adult would have picking up a kitten - _let me go, let me go, let me go, you bastard, I have to find him, I have to find him!-, _and from a distance, a familiar voice tells him to 'calm down and stop, Gokudera-kun, I'm sorry but at this rate, it'll be almost impossible to find him'.

The storm guardian is appalled, freezing in place as Tsuna's words hit him like a bucket of ice-water over his entire body. In his head, he is arguing, fighting still, but as he looks into Tsuna's eyes - _Tenth, no, no, no, you're wrong, he's there, I know it _- he sinks to his knees, hands curling into painful fists as he grasps the fabric of his pants to keep from crying out. He fixes his gaze on one point, and he has never hated being part of the Mafia this much before - _Yamamoto, Yamamoto _-

He hears orders being called out in Italian, lightly accented by Tsuna's Japanese, but the carefully rolled r's and acute vowels make the gentle language beautiful still. Despite the heat from the sun and humidity, Gokudera shivers, pale skin covered in cuts and bruises and blood, developing slight goosebumps. He twitches when he feels a warm hand - **familiar, but not the hand he's looking for**- on his shoulder, and he bows his head, shutting jade eyes tightly, biting hard on dry lips. The Boss is quiet, lifting his hand off the tense shoulder and slowly walks away. Basil's gentle voice is buzzing lightly in his ear, telling him that 'it's OK, Gokudera-san, we'll find him', but the Storm Guardian ignores him, eyes closed still.

And then he hears someone call out **'Hayato**_...',_ husky, familiar, and it is so quiet that Gokudera wonders if it is a trick of the mind. But he hears it again, louder and with more determination, and his eyes snap open, head darting toward the direction of the voice - **Hayato, Hayato, Hayato...!** -. He sets off running, quick as lightning, faster than Reborn or the Boss could have whipped out a gun or than Hibari could have pulled out a pair of tonfa. He ignores Basil's call of 'Where are you going? Wait a minute, hold on!', instead, calling out, "Yamamoto!" like if his sharp cry will pull Yamamoto to him. He runs to a far corner, slender legs quick as he jumps over the remains of the building, tripping once, twice until he makes it to the other side, sliding painfully to his knees, thin wrists burying themselves in rubble, pulling, forcing, _throwing _until he sees a flash of tanned, beat-up skin and a dark, ugly red color.

With a sharp gasp, Gokudera's eyes widen considerably, bleeding hands moving faster now, with growing fervor. Once enough rubble was thrown away, a prone, battered body revealed itself, black suit torn and limbs bending at painful angles. "Takeshi!" is all Gokudera can say, stunned and horrified at the sight. Yamamoto's blurry head moved slowly, turning upward to look at him - _oh god, oh god, look at all the blood...! _-, brown eyes shining with something the Italian can't make out. The Rain Guardian manages to rasp out a quiet 'You found me', and utters a shuddering laugh through dry, cracked lips, before promptly blacking out, forehead colliding painfully with concrete. Gokudera rushes forward, gently taking the swordsman's head in shaking hands and cradles it in his lap, hunching over as if to protect and shield the taller man from any further danger. His whole body is throbbing, bruised and bloody, as tears roll down his cheeks, heart pounding and shoulders shaking. He can only remember looking into Tsuna's eyes before taking a sharp hit to the back of his neck and black stars fill his vision.

He welcomes the dark with open arms.


End file.
